May 16, 2012

Behind-The-Scenes Interview: Premstar Santana

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews with the people behind In-World War. Filmmaking is a team sport; it takes a village to make a movie.

Premstar Santana plays Tix, one of the main roles in the film.

How would you describe In-World War (the film itself) in no more than seven words?Fear-driven reality jump into yourself, truth.

What was your role on IWW and what did you do? I played Tix. A griefer/soldier. I was the messenger of sorts. A survivor, trying to make it 'In-World', who attempts to help Mary. A guardian angel, trapped.

Why did you get involved with it? How did you hear about it?Strong female character. Tix is a badass which I loved, but her subtext and her arc is what made me really want the role. I heard about it through my acting teacher at the time, Matthew Shelton.

Did you enjoy working on the film? What was the best part for you?Yes, It was hard at times, but hard in a good way. Meaning, being a part of a team trying to make diamonds from dust is hard, but so rewarding at the same time. Filming in New York was wonderful!

What interested you about this film in particular?Well, I'm a huge Sci-fi fan. But, mainly because it is so applicable to today. The war on terror, capitalism, & fear. An inside look at the insanity that is created by these outside influences.

How long have you been working in film/involved with film?Not sure exactly. Off and on over a nice chunk of years. We still have to ADR for some scenes, which I'm looking forward to actually.

What is your goal in filmmaking generally (director, writer, director of photography, key grip, etc.) and why?Well, I'm an actor. I love it, and I can't imagine doing anything else. Although, my fiance (Ben Gilbert who is a filmmaker as well) and I are writing a feature length script at the moment, which has been such an amazing experience as well. I also would love to dabble in more of the filmmaking aspects of it all, directing and such. It all fascinates me, but whatever I do, I do it because I enjoy telling stories, and I love being able experience the world from different people's points of view.

In your view, why is filmmaking and making art important to society as a whole?People need to be able to escape, to take shelter, to go through a catharsis, to purge, and be reborn.

Did helping make an indie film leave you with a positive or negative outlook on this type of ultra-low budget filmmaking (and why)? Positive. I was, and still am inspired by all the IWW team has accomplished.

How do you feel about the genre of science fiction? Is sci-fi just for fun or can we tell serious stories that are culturally relevant? (Okay, that’s a loaded question....but still, what do you think?)Like I said before, I love Sci-fi. Yes, I think you can definitely tell stories that are culturally relevant through this genre. Two movies I've watched again recently are Moon & Source Code by Duncan Jones. Both in my opinion are culturally relevant and absolutely amazing. PS: My dream is to be in his next film... pass it on ;)

The film takes an usual sci-fi approach to issues of racial profiling, Islamophobia and the so-called “war on terror” -- how have these issues impacted your life and your work?Fear generates fear. I make it a point to try and eliminate fear from my life, but it's hard in a society that is constantly telling us to be afraid. I feel like "war on terror" is just another thing to keep us afraid, to keep us separated. Our job is to keep creating, to address these types of issues. To break free from the fear.

Before you started with IWW, what did you expect it to be like working on the film?I didn't know what to expect really.

How was it actually?I suppose not having any expectations let me be free to adapt quickly and simply enjoy the ride.

DIY filmmaking can be rough. What was the worst moment? If you have one, share a painful memory from making the film, to give a taste of how tough it got. The director/actor relationship is very important, and it can be pushed aside when your director is doing 80 million other jobs besides directing. But, that's the reality of DIY filmmaking. So as an actor, you have to simply stay strong, and do what you do. Come on set prepared, homework done, and ready to go. There were times on the set of IWW where I wished I could have worked more closely with Brant, and there were moments where I felt quite alone, and unsure of what he wanted. But I pulled through, and just became Tix. He seemed to like it, so all is well in the end :)

What did your experience of working on IWW tell you about humanity and people in general?A reminder of the importance of clear communication & understanding. Of relationships. Actor/Director, DP/Director, etc.

What have you been doing since you worked on the film? What other film projects have you done? I've been acting as much as possible, a bunch of shorts, an Indie feature, and an Indie feature almost ready for production. Taking classes. Writing a feature length script. Making my monthly videos. Most of all enjoying the process of being an actor in LA. Busy, busy, busy. But I love it!

Why should people get involved with, donate money and/or help out on IWW?Because they'll be a part of an amazing and unique journey 'in time', and in filmmaking.

What else would you like to say about your experience on IWW? Any funny anecdotes or behind the scenes stories? I wish I had more FAKE stickers to post about town. We had a ton of fun with those on set, practicing our sticker tagging skills.

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About the film

In-World War, a smart and offbeat indie sci-fi feature, tells the futuristic story of a debt-ridden and depressed beta tester trapped in a buggy virtual reality simulation of the "war on terror".

This site chronicles the making of the film, which is written and directed by DJ Bad Vegan, who (under a completely different name -- perhaps his own) also produced the award-winning narrative feature Quality of Life.

He also provides low-budget DIY filmmaking tips, tricks and indie distribution insights at his site DIYsucks.com and is the Galactic Overlord of the new indie sci-fi website Homemade Sci-Fi.